In general, higher radix switching devices can be built by connecting multiple smaller radix switches, typically on a single die. Decreasing the footprint of the smaller radix switches provides more area on the die and, accordingly, allows more of the smaller radix switches to be included on the die, resulting in even higher radix switching devices.
Smaller radix switches utilize buffering queues to create temporary storage areas for data packets before the data packets proceed through a network. Conventional approaches often size buffering queues uniformly to meet greatest buffering need. While the large buffering queues are necessary to prevent buffer overrun for data packets traveling long distances (e.g., from a data center), these large buffering queues can be excessive for data packets traveling shorter, more controlled distances (e.g., from one small radix switch to another), unnecessarily occupying space on the die.